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Jeez, how did it take so long to get to that obnoxious bastd Ranatunga?
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Jeez, how did it take so long to get to that obnoxious bastd Ranatunga?
- May 5, 2006
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Murali being the #1 test wicket taker of all time (unlikely to be beaten) is a blight on the game. He's a pretty likeable guy but his action was dubious at best and the fact that the greatest bowler of all time (in terms of total test wickets) will always have an asterisk next to his name is sad.
Would you be OK with Warne holding the record?
- May 5, 2006
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Yep. He's a goose but at least he's not a chucker.
Murali's off-break I could live with but the doosra was a dead set throw. Great bloke and it's not his fault but his record should have a line through it.
So with Murali and Warne both ineligible, should we declare Anil Kumble the true record holder?
I just feel if people are going to put an asterisk next to Murali's name in the record books, they really need to hold Warne to the same standard.
- Sep 26, 2012
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he would like everyone to think he was/is a great commentator.
which he is but it is a bit fruity to be honest... ooh now that is probably going to get me into trouble...
scoremachine
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Do you think that taking a diuretic pill enhanced Shane Warnes bowling?
You didn't quote me, but nope, I don't. I think it masked something that did though.
- May 5, 2006
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They really shouldn't. Warne was found guilty of taking a diuretic once, over a decade into his career. He was a fat bloke that bowled at 90 km/h, not exactly Ben Johnson.
The asterisk isn't an attack on Murali as a person. The ICC tested and allowed his action, so the asterisk is really on them.
Do you think having an arm that straightened slightly more than the norm enhanced murali’s? He bowled his full range of deliveries with an immovable brace on in front of a live tv audience at one point.
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I assume he was taking something for his right shoulder, to help with recovery after surgery and then games.
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scoremachine
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I think the majority of the time Murali's bowling was within the rules....my doubts on him come when he was tired after a long spell & tried bowling a big effort ball or a doosra. His action looked different at times of a game.
Not sure how many overs Murali bowled with that brace on?
Anyway sure you can call Shane Warne a drug cheat if you want but i think he proved time and time again that he didn't need a diet pill to help his bowling. He made a mistake & did the time. But over 15 or so years & 708 test wickets his skill of leg spin is what made him great!
And if you read his book, you'll have even less respect for him. Sure, I know it must be hard for the likes of Tendulkar and Kohli to behave like normal human beings with their entire country treating them as superior beings, but geez.
I just want to make one thing perfectly clear here. Once Murali's ridiculously illegal action was okayed by the authorities after those farcical "tests", it allowed him open slather to "bowl" whatever he wanted to. After awhile, he was just pinging the ball, knowing that he would never be called.
I know several Test and first class umpires and match referees at that time who all told me Murali's action was illegal, but that they were told it was in their best interests not to report it. So far as the authorities were concerned, it was a closed book. People think it was only 2 umpires who called him. Wrong. Many umpires all made reports on the legality of his action until they were told to cease.
Under the wording of the rule as it stands, it is physically impossible to bowl a doosra without chucking it. All this crap about supple wrists, etc, were just that .... crap. Two things stood out to me, and removed all doubt. Firstly, when he began "bowling" with the sleeves buttoned to the wrists, sure give away.
Secondly, whenever Channel 9 would critique a successful bowler from overseas, they would continue to show his action from side on. We never saw that with Murali, obviously 9 was ordered not to analyse Murali's action. Whenever they were asked for a comment, the likes of Lawry, Greig, Chappell etc, used to say, "If a player's action is deemed as legal, you have to accept that". Never, "Murali's action is fair" ... you never heard it. And you certainly never heard Benaud comment on it.
To me, the greatest off spin bowler I ever saw was Bishen Bedi, and he always said Murali's action was illegal. He had no doubts. Neither did I.
I thought they introduced a rule that prevented bowlers giving batsmen the send off, but obviously umpires aren't enforcing it.
Carbine Chaos
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- Apr 1, 2009
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Cricket would be much poorer without unique and high-end talents like Murali.
Unpopular opinion, and I definitely understand the other viewpoint, but personally I'm really glad he managed to play/bowl as much as he did, action and all. Loved his skill and enthusiasm for the game.
Unpopular opinion, and I definitely understand the other viewpoint, but personally I'm really glad he managed to play/bowl as much as he did, action and all. Loved his skill and enthusiasm for the game.
Yeah, fair point on Murali, because I agree that it isn't about him as a person (which I think is the exact opposite of polarising, unlike him as an offspinner). Warne was actually found to have taken the diuretic medication more than once and his evidence about it was "vague, unsatisfactory and inconsistent" according to the ASDA committee. Also, he and Mark Waugh are VERY lucky they were caught out being groomed by a bookie and not any later. That one's a very slippery slope.
Tony Greig was fantastic. The English cricket team needed someone to stand up to the Australian pace barrage and he took them on. I think it was a classic example of love/hate relationships, like Botham, Hadlee, etc. They took the Aussies on, and the Aussie fans loved to hate them. They played the role of the villain to perfection and made the contests interesting. Most Aussie fans really do like that type of thing.
Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting Tony Greig would agree that he was just a great bloke, nothing at all what you imagined him to be.
Excellent nomination. I cannot stand Shastri, he is full of s**t. And every time he's asked about the Tied Test, he still claims he never saw the umpire give the batsman out, even though footage clearly shows him looking straight at the umpire at the time.
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